


something worth remembering

by orphan_account



Category: Entry Point (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, hmggh yes romance, onyx lore?? wtf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26328340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Project Onyx was one of the most ambitious projects Halcyon had to date. But those augmented soldiers had a life before they were altered in that way.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 5





	something worth remembering

“GET READY TO FLOOR IT, HADES!” Griffin barks into his radio, sprinting out of the Phoenix warehouse with a detonator in hand and his two other squad members flanking him. Behind them, two remaining Phoenix operatives peek out from their cover, attempting to shoot. 

“JENGA! DELTA! BEHIND YOU!” Griffin calls his teammates’ attention to the stray operatives preparing to fire. Delta makes quick work of the operatives, bringing them down with deadly precision before they get a chance to attack.

“LET'S GET OUT OF HERE SO WE CAN SEE THAT BUILDING BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS!” Jenga cackles, grinning as they get closer and closer to the escape van.

“I call shotgun.” Delta establishes as he runs, ignoring Jenga’s immediately ensued whining.

“YOU GOT SHOTGUN LAST TIME!” She protests, glaring at him.

“ARGUE LATER YOU DUMBASSES, COPS ARE ALREADY HERE.” Griffin throws the door of the van open, making sure Jenga and Delta climb in before getting on himself. Their getaway driver, Hades, slams on the gas pedal as they’re shutting the door.

“Three, two, one-” Griffin presses the detonator, and the explosives lining the warehouse go off, sending the stockpiled supplies that were precious to the enemy organization up into flames.

“Happy new year,” Delta remarks sarcastically at the explosion.

“PHOENIX’LL NEVER RECOVER FROM THAT!” Jenga presses her face against the window, cackling victoriously. 

“This is Operative Dogfight, the detonation is a success. Exfiltrating right now with the entire squad intact, although Operative Jenga and I will need medical attention.” Griffin reports on the radio, applying pressure on his wounded thigh. Delta dresses Jenga’s shoulder in gauze, staunching the blood flow.

“Good. One last thing, Dogfight.” The voice of his mission coordinator is on the other end.

“Yes, Sir?”

“Finish off the cruisers tailing you. Don’t let them follow you to the base.”

Griffin puts down the radio, peeking through the window. Sure enough, three police cruisers were gaining on them.

“THE COPS ARE ON OUR ASS!” Jenga calls out to Hades. 

“I’ll take care of it.” Griffin unslings his LMG, opening one of the van’s trunk doors. It swings open, shoved aside almost instantly by the wind.

“WOAH, WOAH, WOAH!” Hades glances at the rearview mirror, eyes wide, “WE’RE GOING SIXTY, THAT ISN’T SAFE!”

“NEITHER IS HAVING THE POLICE FOLLOW US TO WHERE WE’RE GOING!” Griffin shouts over the wind before raising the firearm, sending a spray of bullets towards the nearest vehicle. The cruiser swerves as the driver slumps over the wheel, a spray of blood staining the seat of the car. The following cruisers slam on the brakes, just barely avoiding a collision with the car that Griffin shot down.

“THEY’RE STOPPED FOR NOW! GO!” Griffin directs Hades, reaching for the door handle and slamming it shut against the wind. The van speeds up, and the cop cars disappear behind them. Griffin lowers the LMG, letting out a sigh.

“Are we in the clear?” Delta looks at Griffin expectantly.

“We should be. Stay on your guard, just in case.” Griffin grunts, examining the wound on his thigh.

“I doubt we’ll get chased by anyone else. This place is in the middle of nowhere- the three cop cars ya took down were probably their entire police department!” Jenga laughs, jamming a fresh magazine into her pistol.

“We have a long drive ahead of us, so try to get some rest if you can. Special orders from our coordinator- he wants our squad back at the main base.” Hades mentions.

“HELL YEAH! No more sleeping in this crusty van. I miss my cot in the barracks…” Jenga raises her arms in celebration but stops herself before she can injure her shoulder further.

“Dogfight, give me your leg.” Delta leaves Jenga’s side, bringing the medkit with him. He squats down next to him.

“Turn off your radios, I prefer real names over codenames.” Griffin makes sure all operatives switch their radios off, then looks back down at Delta.

“Do you still prefer Delta over Micah?” Griffin asks.

“I don’t care, Rebecca teases me about it either way.” Micah mutters as he rolls Griffin’s pant leg up, examining the gash on his thigh, “This looks nasty. I didn’t think people fight with knives, I thought that was just a thing Theo did.” He gestures to their driver.

“I shot an operative down but they still managed to strike me in close combat with a dagger, so maybe it’s not as useless as you think.” Griffin shrugs, wincing as Micah wipes his wound with disinfectant. 

“Jeez Griff, just shoot faster, duh. ‘S not that hard.” Rebecca snickers, yawning. She puts her loaded pistol away in its holster.

“It’s just that easy.” Theo snorts, gaze still on the road. The van shares a comfortable silence, and Griffin sighs in relief as Micah finishes dressing his wound in gauze, rolling his pant leg back down. 

“Wake me up when we get there. Thanks for driving, Theo.” Griffin uses his vest as a pillow, curling up on the floor of the van to get some much-needed rest.

  
  


Griffin doesn’t feel like he’s slept for long when Rebecca shakes him awake, hovering inches above him. Her scruffy brown hair tickles his face. 

“You were OUT! That was like, what, only an hour of driving? Did you get any sleep last night?” She laughs. In this position, Griffin only thinks about the fact that he never noticed how prominent her freckles were.

“...Uh, not really.” Griffin murmurs a response.

“Anyways, we’re here, and just in time, too! They should have some sort of dinner prepared.” Rebecca grins, getting up as Micah opens the van door, hopping out. Griffin follows suit, stretching out his sore muscles. Theo joins them, locking the van and shoving the key into his pocket. They trek out to the fortified building, passing the guards that stand watch over the clearing, and eventually make their way inside. All rooms are relatively empty save for the mess hall, where most of the building seems to be. 

“MREs for dinner today. The people who were on chow duty didn’t show up.” Griffin remarks, heading over to the counter where a few remaining MREs are stacked.

“I can’t imagine why someone would try to get out of chow duty. I’d rather cook some frozen soup for a hundred people or so over getting shot at on a mission.” Theo murmurs, grabbing a packet.

“Easy for you to say,” Rebecca huffs, “I joined this organization to set off explosives and pull off heists, not play chef. You don’t see me filing applications for your local fast-food chain, now do you?”

“Touché.”

The four of them pick a spot on the floor to eat their meal, as all of the tables were taken at the time. They eat in silence- all of them were too busy stuffing themselves to talk.

About an hour later, just before they were about to retire to the barracks, the mess hall went completely silent at the drop of a hat. An operative tried to open a packet of crackers wrapped in cellophane but was instantly shushed by their partner. 

“I’m looking for Griffin Spiers and his squad.” The cold voice of their mission coordinator, Wren, comes from the entrance of the mess hall. His mere presence was enough to shush the entire room- it was common knowledge that he was The Director’s right-hand-man. At his question, the entire room points directly to where they sit amongst scattered MRE wrappers. Micah almost spits out his drink. Rebecca shrugs, finishing her dessert. Respect was a foreign concept to her.

“I believe you’re looking for us, Wren.” Griffin gets up, dipping his head slightly. He glares at his other squad members, motioning for them to get up as well, “Apologies for making you seek us out. I know you’re a very busy man-”

“Skip the pleasantries. The Director wishes to see you.” Wren’s expression is unreadable behind his matte grey sunglasses. 

“The Director…” Griffin’s squad murmurs in unison.

“And the rest of you.” Wren turns away from their squad, looking at the operatives in the mess hall with disgust, “You act like animals. Clean this filthy place up. It looks like a pigsty.” To emphasize his point, he kicks a stray MRE wrapper out of his path. 

Wren leads Griffin and his teammates out of the mess hall in silence. Griffin combs his hair with his fingers as best as he can, adjusting his bangs neatly over his forehead. 

“Yo Micah, you should fix your hair too.” Rebecca snickers, reaching up and pretending to comb his bald head.

“That’s not funny,” Micah mutters.

“It’s a little funny.” Theo chimes in under his breath.

“Be quiet.” Griffin snaps at them, “That’s an order.”

The squad falls silent once more, and they finally reach The Director’s office. Wren looks them up and down before giving the door two knocks.

“Director. I brought you the team as requested.” Wren speaks through the door.

“Come in.” 

“Behave yourselves,” Griffin orders his teammates under his breath once more before they’re invited inside the office. Inside, The Director sits at his desk, radiating a cold, collected aura. Wren takes his place beside his desk, acting as a personal bodyguard. Griffin bows his head, his teammates doing the same.

“Spiers.” The Director calls him by his last name.

“Yes, Director?” He lifts his head.

“You have quite the capable squad. I’m impressed. The sheer coordination and teamwork you display on every task you’ve been given is astonishing.”

“Thank you, Director.” 

“I have a question for you four.” The Director leans back in his chair, eyeing the four of them. The others lift their heads, paying close attention, “You must be familiar with ‘Project Onyx’, correct? Being one of the best teams that we have, you’ve been occasionally sent on missions relating to this project, have you not?”

“I speak on behalf of the team when I say we know of its existence, however, we do not know any specifics, Sir.”

“Project Onyx is the road to deploying indestructible supersoldiers, Spiers.” The Director folds his arms, squinting at them, “It’s a rather sensitive project, so that is all I can disclose before I ask another question.”

“Supersoldiers…” Rebecca repeats under her breath. Griffin has his mouth open in shock. Micah stays silent beside Theo.

“Preliminary testing has gone on for years. However, the project is ready to move to its next stage. And that is where you four come in.”

“How do we apply to this situation, Director?” Griffin asks.

“I’m offering you four the opportunity to become the first supersoldier squad in history. Your team is already the best Halcyon has to offer, but I believe you have the chance to excel.”

Griffin’s eyes go wide. He looks to his teammates- mixed emotions flash on their faces.

“And how does the whole human-to-supersoldier transition thing work?” Rebecca asks, clearly skeptical.

“To put it simply, select parts of your body will be surgically altered and replaced with a fortified, more powerful version of what was once removed. The plan is to make each supersoldier virtually impenetrable, so to speak.”

“I appreciate the offer, Director.” Theo swallows, finally speaking up, “However, I would rather not go through with this.” 

“I’m with him!” Rebecca gestures to Theo, “That sounds way too risky. I’m not letting some quack slice my body open and replace it with gears…” She shudders.

Griffin exchanges a glance with Micah.

“I profusely apologize, Director. They’ll need time to think about it.” Griffin turns to him, dipping his head once more. 

“I agree. It would be an honor to be a part of this project.” Micah chimes in.

“If the two wish to not go, so be it. You two would make good prototypes.” The Director looks Griffin and Micah up and down, “I’ll talk to the doctor today and tell her this news. Show up to the clinic in the research wing of the base at nine o'clock in the morning. She’ll be waiting for you there.”

“Wait, you’re AGREEING to that shit?” Rebecca yelps. Wren gives her a death glare at her unprofessional words.

“Not now, Rebecca.” Griffin snaps at her. She falls silent, facing the floor. 

“And one more thing.” The Director looks at each of them individually, “If one of you talks about this project or any of its specifics to anyone besides me, your crew, or the doctor, your life will be at stake.”

The team doesn’t dare to speak, they merely nod their heads to show that they understand. Wren looks at the Director, and they exchange a glance.

“You’re excused.” Wren opens the door, waving them out. 

The moment the door of the office closes behind them, Rebecca breaks away from the group, walking at a brisk pace with her head down.

“Becca,” Griffin calls after her. She only walks faster.

“Becca… come on.” Griffin frowns as she keeps walking.

“Griffin, I’m gonna go hit the hay with Micah. Want to head to the barracks with us?” Theo offers.

“I’ll show up at the barracks later. I need to talk to her.” Griffin mutters, setting off after Rebecca. She disappears behind a corner, and Griffin has to jog to catch up.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier. Can you please just tell me what’s wrong?” Griffin calls after her. Rebecca stops in the empty hallway, still not facing him.

“Just like that? You’re guaranteeing yourself death?” Rebecca’s voice is uneven and shaky.

“What do you mean by guarantee-”

“This whole project is giving me a nasty feeling. I know I’m risking my life for this organization every damn day, but I draw the line at letting a Halcyon quack play God with my body.”

“Rebecca, nobody is forcing you to agree to the project. If you don’t want to do that, then just don’t show up. It’s that simple.”

“I’m afraid, Griffin.”

“A-Afraid?”

Rebecca slowly turns to face him, head still facing the floor.

“It’s not just about what they _could_ do to me. It’s about what they _will_ do to you.”

“Rebecca, I-”

“I don’t want them to slowly kill you in front of my eyes, Griff!” She lifts her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. Griffin’s heart sinks at the sight. Rebecca rarely cried. 

“Becca. Listen to me.” Griffin lifts Rebecca’s chin in one of his calloused hands.

“Wh- What?”

“You don’t need to worry about me. They’ve been perfecting the project for years now, right? I’m not going to die. I promise.”

Rebecca refuses to respond. Tears continue to roll down her cheeks.

“I’ll be fine, okay? Please, don’t worry this much about me. It’s not good for you.” Griffin lets out a sigh, dropping his hand. 

“Promise me that I won’t have to see you die, Griffin.”

“...I promise.”

“Don’t break that promise.” She chokes out before turning, setting off at a brisk pace.

As Griffin makes his way to the barracks by himself, he can’t get what Rebecca said out of his head. Was she right? Did he just willingly turn himself into a Halcyon guinea pig at the chance of becoming stronger than he already was?

His questions would be answered tomorrow.

  
  


The next morning, he meets Micah outside the clinic’s door at 9 o’clock sharp. 

“Nervous?” Griffin asks his teammate.

“I just don’t know what to expect.” Micah huffs, arms crossed.

“Pretty sure it’ll-” Griffin is cut off as the door to the clinic opens. They turn, looking at the woman who stands in the doorframe. She carries an air of professionalism with her composed posture and confident stance. A white lab coat with lavender accents hangs off her shoulders, complimenting her dark hair that seems to have a purple sheen to it.

“Doctor Rivera.” The woman introduces herself, shaking hands with each of them, “You guys are the ones The Director sent, right? I’ve heard nothing but good things about you two.”

“That is correct. Nice to meet you, Doctor.” Griffin nods.

“Nice to meet you too. Let’s get started, shall we? We have no time to waste.” The doctor clasps her hands together, inviting them inside the clinic. As Griffin steps inside with Micah, he feels that there’s no turning back now.

The first appointment they had with the doctor was simple; she took both of their vitals, made various measurements, had multiple scans of their body done, all while writing down extensive notes in her notebook along the way.

As the weeks went by, and their surgery date came closer and closer, they spent virtually no time outside of the clinic. Griffin often thought about Rebecca as he was getting work on his body done. Did she miss him? How was her new teammate treating her? Did she like them at all? He couldn’t dwell on the questions long before the anesthesia kicked in, rendering him unconscious.

Every time Griffin woke up from anesthesia, just for a moment, he could see Micah on the operating table next to him. He doesn’t know how long he’s been put under- every time he wakes up, a different doctor is working on his body. He can’t question it further before he falls unconscious once more.

When Griffin finally awakens, his entire body feels scarily numb. He’s in nothing but a hospital gown. As he shifts, he doesn’t feel the texture of the cloth. He lifts his head, looking around in shock. Doctor Rivera sits in the corner of the room, typing away at a laptop. Micah is nowhere to be found.

“Doctor-” Griffin tries to choke out, but his mouth is so dry it hurts. 

“Ah, Mr. Spiers. You’ve finally woken up. Please refrain from trying to move- it may be rather disorienting.”

“Water-” He requests with a hoarse voice.

“I’ll get that for you.”

The doctor fills up a plastic cup from the sink, making her way over to him. Griffin lifts his hand to take the cup- but wasn’t prepared for what he saw.

Griffin stares at his open hand. A sort of synthetic but tough material appears to encase a network of flexible metal plating that runs from the tips of his fingers to the top of his shoulder. He looks to his other arm, and sure enough, he sees the same.

“It’s so intricate, isn’t it? And it’s not just your arms- it extends to almost everything below the shoulders. Your friend has the same augments as well, I’m just surprised you were able to get them to move this quickly.” Doctor Rivera lifts the cup to his lips, and he takes a much-needed drink.

“Micah? Where is he?” Griffin looks around the room.

“He woke up before you did, and is in a physical therapy session of sorts. You were asleep for quite some time, you know. I almost thought you were put in a coma.” The doctor states matter-of-factly. It doesn’t make Griffin feel better.

“When can I see him?”

“Well, if you’re ready to head to physical therapy, right now. Your clothes are on the chair. Get dressed and meet me in the room down the hall.” The doctor leaves the room, and Griffin is left alone.

Griffin takes a deep breath, slowly getting out of the bed. His body seems to creak and groan as he moves like a piece of abandoned machinery. He looks down, noting that his legs were augmented as well. It would take months of getting used to- even the simple task of getting dressed was a whole ordeal. And it wasn’t just his body- it was his mind, as well. Something felt off- why wasn’t he terrified? The mere concept of waking up in an entirely different body would be horrifying and unsettling, but he feels a strange numbness in its place. 

And the faces of his teammates- why can't he remember some of their names? There was Micah, then… who else? He had so many memories of the scruffy-haired girl, but when he tried to recall some of them, his mind went blank.

“Brain damage.” Griffin murmurs out loud. He feels numb, too numb. But he ultimately decides to focus on the topic at hand- getting used to his new form. He takes one last look at the clinic before making his way down the hall.

  
  


The following months consist of training day-and-night. They sleep in a specially designated area of the lab, still not allowed to socialize with the regular operatives. Once used to, Micah and Griffin’s bodies are insanely powerful and durable. With the training paying off, Griffin feels as if this was the body he was always meant to have. However, the damage it did to his brain was never addressed. He often stayed awake at night just trying to remember the name of the girl that lived in his memory.

Micah was a different person entirely, both physically and mentally. The power that he had got to his head, and he often used it to get his way. Griffin couldn’t remember if he was more mellow before they underwent surgery- his memory was failing him.

“Outstanding.” The Director’s voice snaps Griffin out of it, and he finds himself in the training room of the lab. Doctor Rivera is proud of her work on display. For a moment, Griffin wonders why Wren isn’t by The Director’s side anymore.

“It took months of rehabilitation, but they’re back to speed with their original selves- and then some. I believe we’re ready to put them to use.” The doctor looks up at him.

“Get them their uniforms and reintegrate them back into the base. Make sure they’re addressed with the utmost respect.” The Director orders Doctor Rivera, and she nods, retrieving the uniforms.

“You’re permitted to return to wherever you please in the base. Change into these uniforms, and keep your radios at the ready in case you’re needed for an assignment. I’m happy I could oversee this project. Maybe someday we’ll meet again.” Doctor Rivera dips her head, and Griffin does the same. Micah stands coldly and refuses to do the same, expressionless eyes shielded by the silver aviators he has on. 

When Griffin finally leaves the lab for the first time in months, he bears the nametape unique to him and Micah- an unmistakable name threaded in white- ONYX. Operatives whisper to each other as he walks by. Griffin turns, meeting the operatives’ eyes, and they’re silenced almost instantly.

“GRIFFIN!”

The voice of a woman shrieks at him as he enters the barracks. Nobody seems to be inside until a force runs into him from behind, wrapping their arms around his torso. Griffin turns around, meeting the face of the nameless woman with scruffy brown hair that refused to leave his memory.

“You- I feel like I’m hugging a statue-” She drops her arms, looking him up and down. Her lip quivers ever so slightly.

Griffin wordlessly stares down at her. He still can't remember her name.

“Griffin… What did they do to you? Why haven’t I seen you since February? It's in July!”

He blinks at her. Nothing spurs his memory.

“N-No, that can’t be… You remember me, r-right?” Her voice cracks, “...T-The girl that fell for you, Griff.”

“What’s your name?” Griffin tilts his head slightly.

The woman clasps a hand over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. 

“I- I’m sorry. I must have mistaken you as someone else.” She murmurs a quick apology before leaving the barracks. Griffin is left behind in the empty room, listening to her footsteps fade away.

He wouldn’t see her ever again until two years later- the end of Halcyon as he knew it.

“DELTA! THEY’VE COMPROMISED THE BASE, DON’T LET THEM ESCAPE!” Griffin barks orders at his partner. He nods, loading the minigun and setting off to the base’s elevator shaft with Griffin by his side. The main room is absolute chaos, gunfire comes from every direction. Delta is already returning fire with his minigun from the elevator shaft, defending the exit with every last ounce of strength he had. 

“THEY’VE ALREADY PLANTED THE BOMBS! THERE’S NO USE! WE’RE TRAPPED!” A Halcyon operative shrieks in terror, clutching the pistol close to their chest.

“WHAT BOMBS?” Griffin yells over the gunfire.

“SIX OF THEM! THEY’RE GOING OFF IN A M-MINUTE!” They’re in hysterics, loading the pistol and shoving it inside their mouth. Griffin fails to get more information out of the operative before they pull the trigger.

He whips his head around, running to go assist Delta- but a smartly placed C4 detonates right under his feet, rendering his legs completely useless. He falls a level down, collapsing onto the hard concrete. 

“DELTA!” Griffin yells out, lifting his head. He sees his comrade collapse, the gunfire from four directions becoming too much for his body to bear. Griffin looks around in horror as the four Phoenix operatives emerge from their hiding spots, gathering on the elevator.

But they’re trapped inside too.

The elevator is useless, and he can see the panic in every operative’s eyes as one of them flips the activation lever on and off to no use.

He can see his squad in theirs.

His squad.

Delta. Hades. Himself.

And Jenga.

Griffin’s eyes go wide as he spots the woman that approached him two years ago slumped against a stack of pallets, blood seeping through her vest. With the last few ounces of strength Griffin has, he crawls over to her, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. He cradles her in his arms, holding her as close as he can.

Griffin remembers now. Her name was Rebecca. He remembers that she was the loveliest woman that Griffin had ever met. And he remembers the promise that he made her the night before he was changed into an Onyx unit.

And as the bombs go off, making everything go white, Griffin was at peace knowing that Rebecca didn’t have to see him die.


End file.
